Similar Species: This plant grows within populations of Physaria pinetorum and is distinguishable from that species only by its sparsely pubescent silicles. Physaria valida also occurs in the Sacramento Mountains, but its silicles are densely pubescent, tear-shaped, and slightly compressed parallel to the septum. Other Physaria species in this mountain range have glabrous silicles.

Remarks: Molecular, morphological, distributional, and ecological data strongly support the union of Physaria and Lesquerella. The genus Lesquerella has about 75 species and the genus Physaria has about 22 species, but Physaria is the older name. The rules of botanical nomenclature require that the older name be retained, thus all species of Lesquerella have been transferred to Physaria (Al-Shehbaz and O'Kane 2002). The authors petitioned for an exception to this rule for Lesquerella, but were denied.

Physaria lata has been found as an occasional pubescent-fruited form in large aggregations of P. pinetorum. There is strong suspicion that it is only a sporadic variant of the latter species. Along with P. aurea, it is one of two endemic bladderpod species in the Sacramento Mountains.

Conservation Considerations: Current land uses apparently pose no threat to this plant. A greenhouse study is needed to determine if the pubescent silicle characteristic is consistently represented in offspring of this questionable species.